Judging a Book by Its Cover

Today marks the release of Joel Osteen's latest book, I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life. The description on Osteen's website reads:

The words we speak set the course for our life. If you want to know what you're going to be like in five years, listen to the words you are saying about yourself today.
Now you can take charge of your future with the help of Joel Osteen's latest book-I Declare. Filled with 31 written declarations-one for each day-you can declare, in faith, God's powerful Word over your life and watch your surroundings change in incredible ways. You will move forward to a promising future from the fruit of your words! (Source)

While it has been said that one cannot judge a book by its cover, it seems a safe speculation to expect that this latest literary endeavor once again finds Osteen in the realm of the heretical Word Faith gospel. As was noted in a CBS interview conducted with Osteen earlier today, the book's introduction states that, "The key is you've got to send your words out in the direction that you want your life to go." This idea that one's words have creative power if only they are supported by enough faith is crucial in the Word Faith movement. Pastor Gary Gilley sums up this teaching thusly:

As is implied by the title "Word of Faith," the supporters of this movement believe that faith works like a mighty power or force. Through faith we can obtain anything we want — health, wealth, success, whatever. However, this force is only released through the spoken word. As we speak the words of faith, power is discharged to accomplish our desires. (Source)

Just as the Word Faith movement teaches that positive words create positive results, it is also taught that negative words will likewise yield unpleasant outcomes.

[Kenneth] Hagin informs us that if you confess sickness you get sickness, if you confess health you get health, whatever you say you get. "This spoken word. . . releases power — power for good or power for evil," is the commonly held view of the movement. It is easy to see why the title "Positive Confession" is often applied to this group. (Source)

In the video referenced above, Osteen appears to agree with this doctrine as he reveals his reason for writing this newest book:

A lot of people have had negative things spoken over them—they weren't raised in a good environment like I was—and they get up every morning and they're speaking defeat: 'I'm not attractive, nothing good ever happens to me.' I just believe the words that we speak set the course for our lives. (Source)

7 comments:

Hmmm, so if I understand this correctly, I can influence the destiny of my life by declaring these positive affirmations over me. Seems such a shame that this teaching wasn't available for those believers mentioned in Foxes 'Book of Martyrs'. I wonder if this might be effective for the Christians in Egypt or Saudi Arabia or China or North Vietnam or.......

This is nothing more than what Brannon Howse has deemed "Christian shamanism" or the "law of attraction" Oprahanity. This won't ever play well in places where true persecution of the true saints occurs, however it is being exported to third and fourth world countries giving them a false hope as the false preachers take whatever these poor dupes are willing to give them. Tragic, just tragic. Woe to them!!!

I wish someone would have told me earlier that Joel Osteen's writing was influencing God! Now I don't know which parts that God says can be believed... I think He's been brainwashed a bit.

Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Ok, I understand God being a little off his rocker, but not Solomon! I thought he was the wisest man on earth! Now I will only be able to read select books of the Bible, the ones that still have some truth in them. Maybe I'll just have to neglect the Bible all together... for shame!

Anonymous,, Proverbs 18:21 is taken at face value by MANY people who don't consider the much DEEPER implication of it. They don't even consider the WHOLE Counsel of God's word.

To live by the tongue and not even consider your HEART is extremely dangerous.. Yes we should be careful in what we say. it can and has steered many people's course of life or death. But these people are putting the emphasis on "positive" and "negative" as the SOURCE of evil or good. We CAN SAY negative things like "confessing our sins" for example and we are supposed to be open and transparent with GOD.

Their very way of life is controlled by their tongue and not by the Fear of the LORD.. The tongue which is a metanomy in Proverbs actually reveals what is in our hearts. So what I'm saying is does the (tongue) if we say something very (negative) is it really WRONG? What does the Bible have to say?

First of all lets define biblical faith. It is having or to have faith in God-Mark 11:22 not faith in our "positive or negative" words. Faith can become a state of mind called positive thinking which is not faith in God and is very unbiblical.

Examples: Look in Genesis in the Garden of Eden., Who was negative with what they said or spoke? God was as negative as could be when he said, there is this tree in the middle of the garden and if you eat of that tree you will DIE... How negative is that?? And who was the "positive guy? Satan was--oh, don’t worry about it, it's okay if you eat of it, you will be like God and will not die... So NO!! TRUTH is NOT measured by positive and negative.. Look at Jesus (paraphrased here), He was very NEGATIVE when he said you know I'm going to Jerusalem and they are going to kill me. But Peter was very positive, he said oh no I know it's been going very tough for you lately and you’re really down, but you've got to keep a stiff upper lip and look on the bright side of life and have a positive confession and everything is going to be okay. and you know what Jesus said to him? "Get behind thee satan." Gee, who was positive and who was negative? The source of evil is not in our words but our hearts.. to say We are to tell the truth to God and not "ever" say what is negative or else we will never have this positive relationship with God is very unbiblicalAll this does is imprison people into deep slavery what Joyce Myers is teaching

I apologize I meant to refer back to Osteen. But they're all the same it's just that Osteen takes it a step further and capitalizes on good and confessing it over your life or in your life.

I fail to see how denying our imperfections by lying to ourselves of who we really is accurate? That's building up a false identity? Example: By standing in front of a mirror and lying to yourself and saying "I am a good person" and "I am beautiful" to build up "self esteem" in one's life the TRUTH? --It's not. This is what is called the power of suggestion and all it does is brainwash a person into believing that they are okay when they really really are not. Sounds like he borrows self-esteem from Robert Schuller and positive confession from Mary Baker Eddy

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